Joint arthroplasty is a well-known surgical procedure by which a diseased and/or damaged natural joint is replaced by a prosthetic joint. Typical prostheses include several components that can be joined together in various combinations and orientations to provide a desired joint configuration. Such a modular system significantly reduces the number of individual components that must be purchased, stocked, and used during a surgical procedure.
Components, however, can sometimes be challenging to mate in a secure manner, while maintaining a precise, selected orientation of one component with respect to another. For example, with threaded components it is very difficult to precisely mate a slotted stem to another prosthetic component and ensure that the slot is oriented in a desired direction with respect to the other component when the threads are screwed tight. If the slot is misaligned, the performance of the prosthetic joint can be seriously degraded in situ, and/or be difficult to install.
Therefore, despite the existence of joint prostheses having modular components, there remains a need for a modular joint prosthesis that has greater versatility to accommodate differing patient anatomy and joint conditions. It is thus an object of the invention to provide a modular prosthesis having greater versatility to accommodate different patient anatomy and joint conditions while maintaining a relatively low component count. It is another object of the invention to provide a modular prosthesis having components that are physiologically and geometrically compatible with different anatomical conditions. Other general and more specific objects of the invention will in part be apparent from the drawings and description that follow.